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Joshua Underwood
Dr. Joshua Wardell Underwood, Ed.D., MD/CX (Full titles: His Excellency the Lord Chancellor of the Imperial Reydovan Empire (2321-2384), Grand Admiral Supreme and Commander-in-Chief of Imperial Naval Forces, Ambassador-at-Large, Lord Protector of Reydovan Prime and Patriarch of the House of Underwood) (born June 5, 1987 in Sacramento, California, USA) is a futuristic depiction of the roleplayer who created the Reydovan Empire. Underwood used several actors, most notably legendary German actor Jürgen Prochnow (known as the submarine captain from the movie Das Boot), but around 2003 Underwood started using himself to portray his futuristic persona. "Who can play me better than me?" was his idea. While the futuristic Underwood has children who look older than Underwood himself, he simply says, "Genetics keeps me youthful in that time period; so if my kids end up looking older than me, perhaps that's a good sign; it means I'm not THAT old yet!" Origins Underwood's early history, except what he told to his friends and family, was relatively unknown, except for the fact that he was born in Sacramento, California. Most of the records were destroyed in the Third World War, and what little Underwood revealed about himself is the only written history. He considered himself a native Californian even after the founding of the UFP; in fact, his personal sigil (which became the symbol of his House) was a silhouette of the state of California, with the colors and emblem of the Reydovan Empire, combining both the home of his birth, and the home of his duty. Underwood had a very troubled childhood, due to traumatic personal experiences in his early age. Towards the end of the Eugenics Wars, when Underwood was 9, a mysterious stranger took him and genetically engineered him for longevity and intelligence. That man became known later as Kiran Joshmaul. (It is speculated that the first part of his last name was taken in honor of Underwood in later years, while the "maul" part stood for Joshmaul's ferocity in combat. No one, not even Underwood himself, was truly sure why he chose this name.) Underwood later became a teacher, earning a doctorate in education, and served as an administrator for many years before retiring and fading into obscurity in 2044. Like Joshmaul, he was a silent witness to the Third World War, first contact, and the foundation of the United Federation of Planets. Underwood entered Starfleet service a decade after Joshmaul did; although he enrolled in the Academy in December 2210, officially he only served from 2211 to 2276 - again, ten years less than Joshmaul himself. Starfleet Service Underwood was resistant to join Starfleet at first; he didn't feel like joining another military organization. But after Kiran Joshmaul stated that it would provide an opportunity for him to escape the bordedom of obscurity on Earth, Underwood relented and entered the Academy in late 2310, and served on Starfleet ships from that day since. Like Joshmaul, Underwood became heavily involved in cybernetics research while he was in Starfleet; he served as an executive in the Joshmaul Defense Corporation for many years. (He would later found Underwood Cybernetic Technologies as a rival company to JDC in 2320. After Joshmaul's death in 2501, it became the primary cybernetics firm in the Empire, unchallenged by any competitors.) Underwood also started out in destroyers and eventually worked his way up to dreadnoughts, commanding the U.S.S. Federation NCC-2100 for a brief period. He fought along with Joshmaul during the wars with the Klingons, and was wounded several times in the course of that period. He became an admiral shortly after Joshmaul did, and rose to the rank of Vice Admiral in 2270. That was as high as he went before he vanished in 2276. Also like Joshmaul, Underwood eagerly watched the rise of James Kirk through the ranks. When Admiral Kirk was demoted to command the refitted U.S.S. Enterprise, Joshmaul and Underwood became influential members of Starfleet Command; Joshmaul was on the General Staff, while Underwood had taken over for Kirk at Starfleet Operations until his return - which happened to be the day Underwood vanished in 2276. But he had made great strides while he was there. While at SF Operations, Underwood helped improve the weapons on Starfleet vessels, and eventually had two vessels constructed to his specifications: The U.S.S. Mary D. Anderson NCC-1948, built like the Enterprise, to serve as his flagship; and the U.S.S. Skyrider NCC-1831, which was considered a "lengthened and widened" version of the Constitution refit. The registry code 1831 was used to replace the lost U.S.S. Intrepid, which had previously used that number (no one is sure why it was replaced). The strength of Skyrider would become a lasting achievement, as it was refitted and recommissioned under the watchful eye of General Jonathan Ross in 2383. In 2272, when the Kznti Incursion ended at Zetar, Joshmaul became a vocal opponent of most of the Federation Council and Starfleet Command, saying it was their mismanagement and dishonorable espionage tactics against the Kzin that had caused the war in the first place. He became so vocal that he declared open rebellion, and nine systems who would later become part of his Empire went with him. During the trial before the Federation Council, Underwood argued that, despite the fact that Joshmaul had crossed a very serious line, his service to the Federation was legendary, and it should be considered before the Council pronounced its sentence on him. In the end, the Council agreed with Underwood's recommendation, and sentenced Joshmaul to rehabilitation, with the potential of returning to his present command. However, when Underwood was taking him to the rehab colony, the Anderson - Underwood's flagship - was consumed by a temporal anomaly near Io just as the Enterprise returned from her second five year mission on March 17, 2276. An investigation ensued, and two years later, Joshmaul and Underwood were both declared dead. There was no evidence that they would ever return, and to add to it a piece of hull plating, presumably from the Anderson, was found in orbit. The Rise of Emperor Joshmaul Joshmaul and Underwood appeared near the Reydovan system on August 10, 2296. When the leaders of the now-independent Reydovan systems, who had left the Federation five years earlier, found out that Joshmaul was alive, the Conclave of Serenia was convened the following day to potentially make Joshmaul the new Emperor of an independent Reydovan Empire. However, there was the matter of an already-signed treaty from five years earlier, that said they would not make such a move. However, the Reydovan leaders did not anticipate that Joshmaul would return alive; so they decided to disregard the treaty in order to allow Joshmaul to be their new Emperor. The Conclave was adjourned on October 10, 2296, and the following day Joshmaul was crowned Emperor Joshmaul I in a public ceremony in the newly-renamed Imperial City (formerly "First City") on Reydovan Prime. Once in power, Emperor Joshmaul appointed Joshua Underwood as commander of the Imperial Navy and Daniel Longstreet as the head of the Imperial Marine Corps (the Imperial Army was not established until 2370), and created the Imperial Guard to serve as the police force for the Empire, and also as praetorians to the Emperor himself. He solidified his position quickly, appointing ministers and a council of the planetary leaders to serve as his advisors. Underwood remained his chief advisor. He would need all of Underwood's expertise two years later, when the Federation discovered that Joshmaul had returned - and had violated a very detailed treaty... War with the Federation In 2298, the Federation Starfleet was vastly depleted as a result of the Khitomer Accords; the Fleet had mostly disarmed over the years, particularly along the Klingon Neutral Zone. When they discovered Joshmaul was alive and leading his own Empire, they sent a fleet of starships under Admiral Daniel Neill - Joshmaul's successor in the General Staff - to quell this "rebellion". The results were devastating; Neill was captured, and the task force all but destroyed. Neill realized that in order to avoid execution, he would have to swear loyalty to Joshmaul - and that is exactly what he did. The Federation Council went into an uproar. It was divided on the "Reydovan issue" as it stood; a good deal of the Council voted to recognize the Empire as a legitimate state; the remainder, including the reigning President, Ra-ghoratrei of Delta IV (who had signed the Khitomer Accords five years earlier), were opposed to this move. It would place a "hostile power" right on the border between the Federation and the Klingons. The issue would be decided in battle, and for three years, the Reydovan Empire and the Federation went back and forth, but gained little ground. Finally, tiring of the pointless bloodshed, Ra-ghoratrei contacted Grand Admiral Underwood, the supreme commander of the Emperor's forces, to discuss a treaty. A cease-fire was called on April 7, 2301. Thus, the Treaty of Korolev in its final form was officially signed on August 11, 2301 (the terms had been decided months earlier, during the cease-fire), defining the border between the Reydovan Empire and the Federation, as well as securing Joshmaul's legitimacy as Emperor. Calm Before the Storm Joshmaul ruled peacefully as Emperor for twenty years after the end of the war, but he soon realized that the details of running the government might be too much for one man alone. In 2321, he appointed Grand Admiral Underwood as the first Imperial Chancellor, to handle all the administrative details of the government. Through that time period, Joshmaul managed to keep the peace, but by 2348, things were starting to turn awry with the Sha'kurian Duchies, and soon it degenerated into open war. In mid-2349, an assault was needed, and a commander was needed to lead it. The Emperor asked for a man capable of leading smaller forces head on into the larger Sha'kurian force. One hand went up - 48-year-old Major General Jeremiah Neill, who had been promoted twice over the course of the war, and was known as a "reckless son-of-a-bitch", as Daniel Longstreet put it. (Ironically enough, Neill's nephew, Jonathan Ross, was referred to quite similarly by the same man, twenty-five years later.) With Neill leading a small force into that battle, they managed to destroy their opponents with few losses, due to the hit-and-run tactics that Neill favored. The war ended in 2350 in a decisive Imperial victory. Darker Times The war with the Dominion came and went, and so too did several officers: Daniel Longstreet became a lieutenant general in the SFMC, and a young Marine captain named Jonathan Ross went with him. Neill, Ross' uncle, protested this move, but Emperor Joshmaul, on Underwood's advice, allowed Ross to transfer. Neill reluctantly agreed, with the condition that Ross return at the current rank. Ross had no such intentions, especially considering he was promoted to Brigadier General by the war's end, and had earned many honors - including the Federation Medal of Honor and an Order of Reydovan. During the war, Underwood served as the Imperial supreme commander, and often worked with Longstreet's forces; a prime example is the Battle of Korolev Prime in 2373. When the war ended, Neill ordered Ross to return, but Underwood countermanded him. Neill lodged a protest, saying that Ross had made a deal, and should stick to it; Joshmaul dismissed Neill's protests. Neill was outraged...and the plan for his takeover began. Another player in this little feud decided to play his "ace in the hole card", in order to get close to the Imperial Family - and destroy it from within. Artimus Devaneaux, a former influential general in the Imperial Marine Corps, was awaiting execution for several brutal murders, including the Imperial Minister of State, Lucius Tyrael. In 2379, however, he escaped, and set a plan in motion to overthrow Joshmaul's rule. In 2383, he made Daniel Longstreet, now retired, into a mind-slave to do his bidding. Longstreet orchestrated Neill's ascendancy, and poisoned his mind. It became so noticable that Jonathan Ross, with the aid of Underwood and Joshmaul, was forced to intervene to save his uncle's life. Neill abdicated, and Joshmaul returned to power. Longstreet's treachery and Artimus' control over him were soon revealed, and Joshmaul took steps to ensure that Longstreet be saved; he asked Jonathan Ross to capture and free Longstreet from Artimus' control. Then it was time to take the war to Artimus himself... The War of Chaos In August 2384, the Romulan Star Empire and the Hydran Kingdom began their invasion of the Federation and its allied nations. The Reydovan Empire managed to stand its ground and keep the invaders from pushing into their space; the Federation was not so fortunate, and two worlds - Betazed and Angosia - fell into Romulan hands, where the Tal Shiar governors committed terrible atrocities on the civiilian population. They were also responsible for the kidnapping of Dr. Shawn Knight, his wife Fallon and their son Michael. The doctor was the son of Fleet Admiral Luna Knight, the Commander-in-Chief of Starfleet. As a gesture of good faith, Joshmaul sent Neill, now Chancellor (Underwood had resigned a week earlier) to offer his assistance. Underwood remained on the front lines, commanding the Imperial Navy against the Romulans and also against Artimus' insurgents. He remains in clear command of Imperial forces, with no doubts as to either his skill or his loyalty. Category: RPG Category: Reydovan Empire